Allright so we are bunching up all of Croatia in one entry. After a dramatic flight from Rome to Dubrovnik in which we were forced to turn back to Rome 5 minutes before landing due to bad weather we arrived to Dubrovnik about an hour later. The bad weather had blown over and Dubrovnik was really ridiculously good looking in the sunshine.

Our hostel was in the old town of Dubrovnik which is a small segment of the city with a big wall around it. I couldn't fault Dubrovnik to be honest. The town was clean. The locals more than happy to help and the food was great (a mix of Italian, Greek and some other European foods). We explored the town a bit and then walked along the top of the wall all the way around the city providing many a photo opportunity in this photogenic city. That night we went to Buffet Kamenice which lonely planet lists as the 152 best thing to do in Europe (not bad as the list has over 15000 things in it). The restaurant was in the middle of a square with old Venetian style building surrounding it (I'm probably way off on that reference!). We ordered the grilled calamari and shrimp risotto which were recommended because the seafood is local and fresh. it was amazing!

Next morning we packed up our stuff to go down to the port to hop onto our cruise. To be blunt the boat we were on (with 30 other Aussies) was a hunk of junk. The cabins were tiny and damp which was the main issue and made it nearly impossible to sleep. What made it worse was that the dampness had made Shaun's flu quite a bit worse so much so that early the next morning on the island of Mljet we went to see the doctor on the island (possibly the most picturesque doctors practice ever in the middle of the national park overlooking a lake). And the doctor advised we get off the cruise to avoid Shaun getting Pneumonia! So we headed back to Dubrovnik checked into a hotel while Shaun recovered. We spent the next few days in Dubrovnik - me swimming in the ocean in front of our hotel while Shaun rested his ailments away. We also spent 2 nights in Split (north of Dubrovnik) doing much the same thing. While it was Disappointing not having seen as much as We would have liked in Croatia. We did have a nice relaxing week which meant we were both healthy and well rested for Italy! I will most defiantly be back to Croatia.